Indeed, those who took vitamin D had an average of 3.7 colds or flu, compared to 3.8 in the placebo group over a year, reported Time.

"The VIDARIS (the nickname of the study) trial, which assessed upper respiratory tract infections as they actually occur in the real world, demonstrated that vitamin D supplementation does not reduce the incidence of respiratory tract infections in adults," wrote study author Jeffrey Linder of Harvard Medical School, reported the Los Angeles Times.

CNN reported that the findings follow the results of two previous studies of vitamin D which show that it is ineffective against colds.

Vitamin D is not typically found in foods but rather is made in the body after exposure to sunlight.